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Build-Up - Once 3 Commando Brigade was ashore, the Army's 5th
Infantry Brigade would arrive to bring total land forces
strength to approximately 10,000 men. Both brigades would
then come under the divisional headquarters of Major General
Jeremy Moore RM as Commander, Land Forces Falkland Islands. Even then, to retake the
islands, he would be far short of the superiority of
numbers needed to easily defeat the well dug-in
defenders.
Men
of 1st Welsh Guards in Sea King
helicopter drill on "Queen Elizabeth
II"
(Courtesy Brig J F Ricketts)
Brigade infantry
was provided by the
1st Battalion, 7th Duke of
Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
together with
two Guards battalions - 1st
Welsh and 2nd
Scots
transferred to 5th Infantry to replace 2 and
3 Para.
Before sailing,
they trained for two weeks near Sennybridge in Wales in terrain similar
to the Falklands.
Support came from
a variety of arms and units, some of which were
already represented in 3 Cdo Bde:
Artillery - HQ
and 97 Bty, 4 Field Regt RA with 6x105mm guns
Air defence -
one troop of 43 Air Defence Bty, 32
Guided Weapons Regt RA with Blowpipe SAM's
Combat
engineers - 36 Engineer Regt RE and 9
Parachute Sqdn RE
Helicopters - 656
AAC Sqdn
with 3 Scout AH.1's and 6 Gazelle AH.1's (one
Gazelle was lost)
HQ and
Communications - Brigade HQ and Signal
Sqdn with
Rear Link Detachments Royal
Signals
Other units
included, complete or in part -
-
407 Road Transport Troop
RCT
with Snowcats
-
16 Field Ambulance RAMC
- 81 and 91
Ordnance Coy and 421 Explosive
Ordnance Disposal Coy RAOC
- 10 Field
Workshop REME
-
160 Provost
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Most of the more than
3,000 men of the Brigade sailed on "Queen Elizabeth 2" and were
joined from Ascension by General Moore as Commander (designate) who
assumed full command of land forces in early June. Supporting
equipment, some troops and the helicopters were carried by
transports "Baltic Ferry" and "Nordic Ferry".
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